Islamic State – Khorasan Province
الدولة الإسلامية – ولاية خراسان
LeadersEmir:

Field commanders:

  • Sultan Aziz Azam[9]
  • Maulawi Rajab[9]
  • Maulawi Habib ur Rahman
  • Ismatullah Khalozai[9]
  • Qari Hekmat
  • Mufti Nemat Surrendered
  • Dawood Ahmad Sofi
  • Mohamed Zahran
  • Ishfaq Ahmed Sofi
Dates of operation26 January 2015[10]–present
HeadquartersAchin District, Afghanistan (de facto, originally)
Active regionsAfghanistan
Pakistan
Tajikistan
Uzbekistan
Size4,000–6,000 (UN report)[11]
100-150 (Afghan news report)[12]
Part of Islamic State[13]
AlliesSubgroups
Groups
OpponentsNon-state opponents

State opponents

Battles and warsOperation Khyber
War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)

The Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISIS–K) is a regional branch of the Islamic State terrorist group active in South-Central Asia, namely Afghanistan. ISIS-K, like its sister branches in other regions, seeks to destabilize and overthrow existing governments of the historic Khorasan region in order to establish an Islamic caliphate under its strict, fundamentalist, Islamist rule.

ISIS-K has conducted numerous high-profile attacks against civilians in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Some of its most notable attacks include a suicide bombing in August 2021 that killed 13 American military personnel and least 169 Afghans in Kabul during the U.S. withdrawal from the country, twin suicide bombings in July 2018 that killed at least 131 at election rallies in Pakistan, and twin bombings in July 2016 that killed 97 Hazara protestors in downtown Kabul.

The product of Pakistani al-Qaeda-linked fighters returning from a dispatch to the Syrian civil war, the group’s traditional base of power began and remains in eastern Afghanistan along the border with Pakistan. While the majority of ISIS-K attacks occur in eastern Afghanistan and western Pakistan, the group has claimed to have fired rockets into Afghanistan’s northern neighbors, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Today, ISIS-K is engaged in a protracted, low-intensity conflict with the Taliban government. Though the Taliban and ISIS-K actively fought against the United States, since the U.S. withdrawal, ISIS-K has shifted its efforts to discredit, destabilize, and overthrow the Taliban regime in order to establish its envisioned Islamic caliphate. The Taliban, on the other hand, make efforts to target ISIS-K militants through violent raids, protect foreign diplomats and investors from ISIS-K attacks, and publicly downplay the presence of ISIS to attract foreign recognition and investment.

Name

Due in part to the contentious and fluid naming pattern of the larger Islamic State organization, ISIS-K is referred to by a number of name variants.[27][28][29] The larger organization has shifted between names such as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Islamic State of Iraq and as-Sham (ISIS), and later simply the Islamic State (IS).[28] Added to the larger organization's name, 'Khorasan Province' varies in abbreviation between 'K' and 'KP'. Thus, commonly used English abbreviations for the group include ISIS-K, ISIL-K, IS-K, ISIS-KP, ISIL-KP, IS-KP, ISISK, ISK, and ISKP.

Colloquially, especially in southwest and south-central Asia, the group referred to by the abbreviation of the larger Islamic State: Daesh, which is an acronym of the Islamic State's Arabic name ad-Dawlah al-Islamīyah fī l-ʻIrāq wa-sh-Shām. Dāʿish (داعش), or Daesh.[30] This name is considered derogatory, as it resembles the Arabic words Daes ("one who crushes, or tramples down, something underfoot") and Dāhis (loosely translated: "one who sows discord").[31][32][30] This name is also used in the area of ISIS-K's operations, including Farsi, Dari, Pashto, Balochi, and Urdu.[33][34][35]

The term 'Wilayah', translated as 'Province' comes from the Arabic term for an administrative subdivision, led by a Wali (governor). The Islamic State likely uses the term for its significance as the primary subdivision of historic Islamic caliphates.[36] The Islamic State uses the term Wilayat in each of its province's formal names, Islamic State – West Africa Province (ISWAP), for example.[37][38]

The term 'Khorasan' refers to the concept of Greater Khorasan, a historical eastern region of the Iranian Plateau between Western and Central Asia. Khorasan was first established as a region under the Persian Sasanian Empire and expanded under the Umayyad Caliphate.[39][40] Today, the lands of the Khorasan region include northeastern Iran, most of Afghanistan, and the southern areas of Central Asia. This region is not to be confused with similarly-named North, South, and Razavi Khorasan Provinces of modern Iran.

History

Background

Prior to the birth of ISIS-K, a number of Islamic jihadist groups operated in South and Central Asia, many linked to Al-Qaeda. In Iran, groups included Jundullah, Harakat Ansar Iran, and Jaish al-Adl. Pakistan hosted hundreds of groups including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), Sepah-e-Sahaba, and Tehrik-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan (TTP). Tajikistan hosted groups such as Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan, Jamaat Ansarullah, and Harakati Islamii Tajikistan. Other groups persisted on the periphery including the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), the Uyghur Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP), East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), and Turkistan Islamic Party (IMT). Each group would develop close relations with either Al-Qaeda or the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.[41]

In response to failed negotiations with the Taliban following the September 11th 2001 attacks by Al-Qaeda against the United States, the U.S. overthrew the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and launched a military campaign against Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants who fought to reclaim the country. The insurgent conflict became a focal point for jihadism in the Khorasan region with nearly every jihadist group in the region taking part to varying degrees.

In 2003, the United States overthrew the Ba’athist government of Iraq and its leader, Saddam Hussein.[42] Jamat al-Tawhid wa-al-Jihad (Organization of Monotheism and Jihad), led by Jordanian Salafist jihadist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, quickly gained notoriety for bloody attacks on Shia mosques, civilians, Iraqi government, American, and foreign troops. In 2004, Zarqawi swore allegiance to Osama bin Laden and the group became part of Ayman al-Zawahiri’s campaign against the United States, becoming known as al-Qaeda in Iraq or AQI. Zarqawi was killed by US forces in June 2006.

By 2010, the Taliban resistance had become weakened under the stresses of factionalism and the Taliban had lost credibility to many of the jihadist groups for its attempts to negotiate with NATO forces. In contrast, the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in March of 2011 shifted the attention of jihadists from the Afghan jihad to the Levant. With jihadist groups flocking to take part in the conflict, al-Qaeda’s branches in Afghanistan and Pakistan began lobbying to send groups of fighters to join the Syrian jihad, a measure to demonstrate to the world that al-Qaeda was still actively involved in a global jihad, especially as donor states’ interest in the Afghan jihad faded in favor of the surging ISIS campaign in Syria. Although al-Qaeda-linked Afghan and Pakistani jihadists had traveled to fight in the Levant as early as 2003, most groups had been small in number and quickly integrated into assorted ISIS units.[41]

The Syrian civil war, where ISIS attained significant military power and attention for the sizeable terrain it controlled, began to attract slightly larger groups of Afghan and Pakistani militants, many of whom may have been disenchanted with the progress of the Afghan jihad. An April 2012 estimate by Russian security services described 200–250 Afghans and 250–300 Pakistanis from TTP involved in the conflict.[41]

Prelude

A significant development came on 14 July 2012 as Hafiz Saeed Khan, a prominent TTP leader, agreed to rapidly assemble a group of 143 Afghan and Pakistani volunteer fighters for al-Qaeda to dispatch to join the al-Nusra Front in Syria. Similarly, as the Taliban’s Quetta Shura and leadership council (Rahbari Shura) refused to send fighters to Syria, the Talban’s Peshawar Shura and semi-autonomous Miran Shah Shura (better known as the Haqqani Network) arranged a deal between Sirajuddin Haqqani and ISIS-leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to deploy Afghan and Pakistani jihadists to the Syrian conflict on salaries of $800 a month, four times that of Taliban fighters. Most importantly, these jihadist units fought as organized groups and would eventually be brought back to Afghanistan and Pakistan, unlike previous groups which were assimilated into local jihadist groups fighting in Syria. Deployments of groups by al-Qaeda in South Asia and by parts of the Taliban quickly made a remarkable impact on the Syrian conflict. From 2012 through 2014, the ranks of Afghans and Pakistanis in ISIS grew massively with at least 1,000 volunteers deployed by TTP alone.[41]

Likely appreciative of the volunteer fighters supplied by groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the ISIS Military Commission in Syria offered ten TTP and Taliban volunteer group leaders from Saeed Khan's first dispatch $1 million to proselytize for the movement when they returned to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Beginning in November 2013, these group leaders began approaching members of each militant group including the Afghan Taliban, TTP, IMU, LeT, LeJ, and others to join the effort. These ten commanders would become ISIS-K's early senior figures including Sheikh Mohsin and Sa'ad Emarati who would become ISIS-K's first emirs of Kunar and Logar Province, respectively. In support of the growing movement, the Haqqani Network and Peshawar Shura, established two training camps in Waziristan and Kunar to teach militants combat skills, vet militants, and provide elementary Arabic language lessons. Once complete, these fighters would transit across Iran and Turkey to reach Syria, mostly posing as economic migrants, or by commercial flight for more senior leaders. At the time, commanders found it fairly easy to motivate fighters to join the fight in Syria as most assumed their former organization would eventually sign a peace deal with the Afghan or Pakistani government, and because the money was more attractive than the region's faltering Taliban donors. One senior ISIS-K member noted in June 2015 "many Arab countries support Daesh: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, and others. They also have a lot of natural resources under their control, like oil wells." Beginning in mid-2013, the groups' leaders began to swear allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the emir of the Islamic State, though it remains unclear how the militant's original organizations viewed these newly sworn allegiances or if others opted to remain loyal to al-Qaida's al-Nusra Front.[41]

Through early 2014, even before the Islamic State would officially separate from al-Qaeda and declare a caliphate in Iraq and Syria, Al-Baghdadi (emir of ISIS), Muslim Turkmani (deputy emir), and Abu Omar al-Shishani (senior commander in Raqqa) had been advocating strongly that the volunteers set up a new branch (wilayah) in Afghanistan and Pakistan with the territories of Iran and Central Asia as later goals. On 3 April 2014, al-Shishani appointed Qari Wali Rahman, an Afghan from Baghlan who had been fighting in Syria since 2013, to be the Islamic State's special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan.[41]

Disperate groups

Even though the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria had agreed to the establishment of a branch in Khorasan, and though a single, special representative to the new branch had been named, the groups of volunteers from the Khorasan region (primarily Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan) were still disunited and dispersed. Only in 2014, had the groups began to form larger organizations and coalesce around a few key commanders. Author Antoni Giustozzi, who writes extensively on the formation of ISIS-K from interviews with senior members, identifies three key "coagulation points" in Afghanistan and one in Pakistan that would later merge to become ISIS-K.[41]

In Afghanistan, three groups formed: Tehrik-e Khilafat Khorasan (TKK), Khilafat Afghan and Muslim Dost's Group, and Azizullah Haqqani's group.[41]

Tehrik-e Khalifat Khorasan

The first group in Khorasan to be officially recognized by and reportedly most enjoyed by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, was Tehrik-e Khalifat Khorasan (TKK). The group, substantially comprising Afghans from the country's east, was originally headed by Abdul Rahim Muslim Dost. Muslim Dost was replaced by Mawlavi Nasratullah Popolzai quickly and reasons for the replacement are largely unknown. Muslim Dost would leave TKK to establish his own group instead.[41]

Khilafat Afghan and Muslim Dost

The second coalescent group in Afghanistan was Khalifat Afghan which was led by Abdul Khadim Rauf. Khadim was an Alizai Pashtun from Helmand in southern Afghanistan who had originally served as the Taliban's provincial governor of Kunar until he was arrested by US forces and sent to the Guantanamo Bay detention camp until his release in 2007. Though he was a senior former cadre of the Taliban's Quetta Shura, Khadim fell out of favor with the Taliban who suspected that Khadim had grown close to Salafist ideas while detained. Khadim's close friend, Sa'ad Emarati, among the first Afghans sent by Hafiz Saeed Khan to join the jihad in Syria, arranged a formal invitation from the Islamic State emir, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, to Khadim requesting that he form a group and join ISIS. Khadim formed Khilafat Afghan in 2013 with the 200 men he commanded in Helmand but grew his organization to 1,400 by January 2015. Having left TKK, Muslim Dost joined Khliafat Afghan, but ended up clashing with Khadim in early 2015 and leaving Khilafat Afghan with 650 of the group's fighters — Muslim Dost's second such clash. Khilafat Afghan had managed to recover from its losses by October 2015 when it claimed 1,140 members. Khadim led the group and its operations in Helmand until he was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Helmand in February 2015, succeeded by his nephew Wahidullah Wahid. 240 of Khilafat Afghan's personnel were support personnel with around 100 managing the group's logistics and finances in Pakistan and 80 members stationed at various headquarters in Doha (its main headquarters, indicative of the group's strong relationship with Qatar), North Waziristan, Nawa in Ghazni, and the UAE.[41]

Following his unceremonious exist from Khilafat Afghan, Muslim Dost's new breakaway group would officially join ISIS-K on 6 March 2015, growing significantly in personnel thanks to ample funding from private Saudi donors. Even though he came from Kot District, Nangarhar, Muslim Dost recruited primarily from members of the Quetta Shura (access he was originally provided by his association with Khadim), though he broadened later to include his home province.[41]

Azizullah Haqqani

The third coalescent group in Afghanistan was a group led by Azizullah Haqqani. Azizullah, not to be confused with the brother by the same name of Sirajuddin Haqqani, had recruited entirely out of the Haqqani network and Hizb-i Islami. In 2014, Azizullah was temporarily expelled from his senior position on the Miran Shah Shura for his exclusive recruitment of members from the Haqqani network. Azizullah was able to later reconcile with Sirajuddin and regain his position on the shura, until Azizullah resumed his recruitment of Haqqani network leaders, drawing the anger of Sirajuddin in October 2016 and his permanent sacking from the shura.[41]

Tehrik-e Khlifat Pakistan

In Pakistan, Giustozzi writes, there was a single coagulation point: Tehrik-e Khilafat Pakistan (TKP, unrelated to TKK and the similarly-named Tehrik-e Khilafat in Karachi). TKP was organized around Hafiz Saeed Khan, the prominent TTP commander who had, on behalf of the TTP and al-Qaeda leadership in Pakistan, been the first to dispatch units of Afghan and Pakistani militants to Syria with the intent to bring jihadist experience back to the region. Although Saeed Khan had sworn allegience to ISIS Emir Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on 11 May 2013, it wasn't until 15 July 2014 that he formally established the TKP, which was announced publicly on 14 August 2014. TKP's membership was the product of merging eight groups within TTP, each comprising a few hundred men and led by a commander:[41]

  1. Hafiz Saeed Khan, Orakzai Agency
  2. Khalid Mansoor, Hangu District
  3. Mufti Hassan Swati, Peshawar
  4. Gul Zaman Fateh, Khyber Agency
  5. Hafiz Dawlat Khan, Kurram Agency
  6. Abdul Bahar Mehsud, Waziristan
  7. Abu Bakr, Bajaur Agency
  8. Shahidullah Shahid, spokesman of the TTP.[41]

The new allegiance of these TTP groups was initially dismissed by TTP leadership as mere 'hundreds', but later admitted that the number was likely in the thousands and did contribute to a significant fall in TTP membership. Although Abdul Bahar Mehsud, the commander of the largest of these groups, had previously been al-Baghdadi's appointed ISIS representative in Pakistan, Hafiz Saeed Khan's close relationship with al-Baghdadi quickly gave him command of TKP. Unlike TKK, Khilafat Afghan, Muslim Dost's group, or Azizullah's group, TKP substantially comprised returning fighters from the Syrian jihad, most of whom where originally TTP militants. In the same time period, TTP was splintering into a number of offshoot militant groups as many felt disaffected by TTP emir Mullah Fazulllah. TKP benefitted heavily from recruitment of those disaffected TTP members who had Salafist inclinations while others formed splinter groups such as Jamaat-al-Ahrar and the Mehsud faction of the TTP.[41]

Birth of ISIS-K

Up until the end of 2014, the TKK, Khilafat Afghan, Muslim Dost's group, Azizullah's group, and TKP all acted and communicated between each other as distinct, separate entities, despite all swearing allegience to ISIS emir Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. That all changed on 26 Janauary 2015 when ISIS Central's Chief spokesperson, Abu Muhammad al-Adnan announced in an audio statement the official establishment of Wilayat Khorasan with Hafiz Saeed Khan as Wali. Interviews with ISIS-K leaders suggest that it was from that day forward that members of these formerly separate groups all began to refer to themselves as Daesh, Daesh Khorasan, or Khilafat Islami with a strong discouragment for any continued insinuation of separate groups. One ISIS-K member, formerly of Khilafat Afghan remarked "My boss is Mullah Abdul Khadim, from the Orakzai tribe of Pakstan. I don't know who is my boss and we don't need to know that. I only know who my boss is and who the leader of Khilafat-i-Islami is, Amir-ul-Muminin Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Daesh is not like the Taliban where everyone knows about their system."[41]

Public appearance

Although Khorasan Province wasn't officially established until January 2015, a number of indcators of ISIS's regional presence began appearing in August 2014 when the ISIS-aligned militant groups began its propaganda campaign which included leaflets and pamphlets, including a twelve-page pamphlet in Pashto and Dari in the Pakistani frontier region announcing the "imminent expansion of the Islamic State into Khorasan" and calling on Muslims to swear allegience to al-Baghdadi.[41] The propaganda materials were believed to have been produced and distributed from across the border in Afghanistan.[43][41] In November 2014, reports began to emerge in rapid succession telling of a new training camp in Kunar. In January 2015 came a report that thirteen men associated with ISIS-K were arrested in Bagram, Parwan. In February 2015, Afghan army intelligence reports indicated that ISIS-K had around seventy members present in Khakki Safed District, Farah Province, the first the National Directorate of Security's had to admit of ISIS-K's presence in the country. On 9 February 2015, Khadim, the deputy governor of ISIS-K, was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Helmand Province. In March 2015, reports began to surface of ISIS-K propaganda materials being distributed in Kabul for the first time. [41]

Beginning of operations

IS fighters in Afghanistan with their commander Abu Rashid in the middle during a documentary by Al Jazeera and Euronews inside their territory.

IS began actively recruiting defectors from the Taliban who were disgruntled with their leaders or lack of battlefield success. This prompted senior Taliban leader Akhtar Mansour to write a letter addressed to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, asking for the recruitment in Afghanistan to stop and arguing that the war in Afghanistan should be under the Taliban leadership.[44] Nevertheless, fighting between the two groups broke out in Nangarhar Province and by June 2015 IS had been able to seize territory in Afghanistan for the first time.[45] After driving the Taliban out of certain districts of Nangarhar after months of clashes, the group started carrying out its first attacks against Afghan forces in the province.[46] Khorasan Province also developed a presence in other provinces including Helmand and Farah.[47] In 2015, IS began broadcasting Pashto language radio in Nangarhar Province,[48] later on adding content in Dari.[49]

The group was boosted in August 2015 when the Afghanistan-based militant group, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), pledged allegiance to IS and declared that it was a member of Wilayah Khorasan.[50] Clashes broke out between IMU and the Taliban in Zabul Province following this pledge. The Taliban launched an offensive causing casualties.[51][52] The Taliban succeeded in dislodging IS from Farah province over the same period.[19]

In 2016, the group lost control of the majority of its territory in Nangarhar province. It was driven out of Achin and Shinwar Districts following a military operation by Afghan Security Forces[53] while clashes with the Taliban led to it being driven out of Batikot and Chaparhar districts.[19] Following the loosening of targeting restrictions by U.S. forces in Afghanistan earlier in the year, the U.S. Air Force began conducting scores of air strikes against IS targets.[54] In April 2016, the Taliban reported that a number of senior and mid-level leaders of Wilayah Khorasan in Nangarhar Province had defected from IS and pledged allegiance to Taliban leader Akhtar Mansour. The defectors included members of the group's central council, judicial council and prisoners council as well as certain field commanders and fighters.[55]

IS fighters who have surrendered after the Battle of Darzab in April 2018

A stronghold in eastern Afghanistan also collapsed as a result of concerted military offensives from United States, Afghan forces and Taliban.[56] On 25 December 2017, in a video of a Kashmiri militant declaring allegiance to the Islamic State and declaring an ISIS–K Province in Kashmir, the fighter called on Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind to ally with or give allegiance to IS and wage jihad in Kashmir against the Indian government but the group declined.[57]

Operations

In June of 2015, the Pentagon asserted that ISIS-K showed only a limited connection to ISIS core, however that assessment was publicly reversed a year later.

On 24 January 2018, militants launched a bomb and gun attack on a Save the Children office in Jalalabad, killing six people and injuring 27. ISIS–K claimed responsibility, saying it was targeting Western institutions. In the aftermath of the attack, Save the Children suspended its operations in Afghanistan.[58]

On 15 May 2019, ISIS declared new 'Pakistan Province' and 'India Province' branches after claiming attacks in Balochistan and Kashmir, respectively. This suggests that while the Khorasan Province still exists, its self-proclaimed geographical area may be reduced.[59]

On 17 August 2019, a suicide bombing took place during a wedding in a wedding hall in Kabul. At least 92 people were killed in the attack and over 140 injured.[60] ISIS–K claimed responsibility for the bombing, stating that the attack targeted the Shi'ites.[61]

On 4 April 2020, the National Directorate of Security announced the arrest of the head of IS Aslam Farooqi by the Afghan military forces who took him into custody along with 20 other commanders.[62]

Protest in Tehran following the 2020 Kabul University attack

On 12 May 2020, a hospital's maternity ward in Kabul and a funeral in Kuz Kunar were attacked, resulting in the deaths of 56 people and injuries of 148 others, including newborn babies, mothers, nurses, and mourners.[63][64] The U.S. government said that ISIS–K conducted the May 2020 Afghanistan attacks, not the Taliban, but this assertion was rejected by Afghan government.[65]

By May 2020 IS-KP territorial control in Afghanistan was reportedly limited to parts of Chawkay District in Kunar province, specifically Chalas village, Dewaygal Valley and Shuraz Valley.[66]

On 26 July 2020, a United Nations report stated that even though the IS branch in Afghanistan had undergone further severe reverses in its former Afghan strongholds of Nangarhar and Kunar provinces, it was too soon to discount it as a threat. Although in territorial retreat, IS in Afghanistan could carry out high-profile attacks in various parts of the country, including Kabul.[67]

On 24 October 2020, a suicide bombing killed at least 30 people and another 70 were injured outside an educational center in Kabul.[68] The ISIS–K claimed responsibility for the attack.[69]

On 2 November 2020, more than 32 people were killed and 50 others injured in an attack on Kabul University.[70] The ISIS–K claimed responsibility for the attack.[71]

In March 2021, three female media workers were shot dead in Jalalabad. The ISIS–K claimed responsibility for the attack.[72]

Gathering outside Afghan embassy in Tehran to condemn the 2021 Kabul school bombing

On 8 May 2021, a car bombing, followed by two more improvised explosive device (IED) blasts, occurred in front of Sayed al-Shuhada school in Dashte Barchi, a predominantly Shia neighborhood of western Kabul, leaving at least 90 people dead and 240 injured.[73][74] The majority of the casualties were girls between 11 and 15 years old.[75] The attack took place in a neighborhood that has frequently been attacked by militants belonging to the regional ISIS–K over the years.[76] Taliban spokesman condemned the attack and held ISIS–K responsible for the attack.[74][76]

On 15 May 2021, a bomb exploded inside a Kabul mosque as worshippers gathered for the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr, killing at least 12 people and injuring another 15.[77] The ISIS–K claimed responsibility for the attack.[78]

On 26 August 2021, an ISIS–K suicide bomber attacked Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, killing over 170 people, including 28 Taliban members and 13 U.S. military personnel.[79] Amidst the Taliban advance on Kabul in preceding weeks, hundreds to thousands of ISIS–K prisoners had been released or otherwise escaped from detention, leading to U.S. fears of attacks on the airport and future targets.[80][81][82] After the attack, the Taliban announced that they would curtail the operations of ISIS–K and capture its leader Shahab al-Muhajir.[83]

In October 2021, U.S. sanctioned a man named Ismatullah Khalozai, because he transferred funds to ISIS–K from his Turkey based business for over two years. He was also accused of using a United Arab Emirates based financing scheme to fund the ISIS–K before and for human trafficking and helping mercenaries.[84]

On 6 September 2022, the Human Rights Watch reported that since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021, the ISIS–K has claimed responsibility for 13 attacks against Hazaras and has been linked to at least 3 more, killing and injuring at least 700 people. The Islamic State affiliate has repeatedly attacked Hazaras and other religious minorities at mosques, schools, and workplaces.[85]

Claimed and alleged attacks

List
Date Attack Location Notes Dead Injured
18 April 2015 2015 Jalalabad suicide bombing Jalalabad, Afghanistan A suicide bomber detonated outside a bank in Jalalabad. 33 100
13 May 2015 2015 Karachi bus shooting Karachi, Pakistan A group of 8 gunmen attacked a bus in Karachi. Claim disputed. 45+ Dozens
13 January 2016 Jalalabad, Afghanistan Three attackers belonging to ISIS launched an attack on Pakistani consulate in Afghanistan. The attack resulted in death of seven members of Afghan security forces.[86] 7 0
20 June 2016 Kabul attack on Canadian Embassy guards Kabul, Afghanistan A suicide bomber targeted a convoy of Canadian embassy security guards. Both IS and the Taliban claimed responsibility. 15+ or 16 (+1) 9
23 July 2016 July 2016 Kabul bombing Kabul, Afghanistan Two suicide bombers blew themselves up during a protest by the Hazara ethnic minority, in Kabul's deadliest attack since 2001 97 260
8 August 2016 August 2016 Quetta attacks Quetta, Pakistan Multiple attackers carried out a suicide bombing and shooting at a government hospital where lawyers were gathered. (Also claimed by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar)[87] 94 130+
24 October 2016 Charsadda, Pakistan An intelligence officer was shot dead. The attack was later claimed by IS in a statement posted on Amaq.[88] 1 0
24 October 2016 October 2016 Quetta attacks Quetta, Pakistan Three armed individuals carried out mass shooting at police cadets at the Quetta Police Training College while they were asleep. One attacker killed during operation while other two blew themselves up, killing 61 cadets. (Also claimed by Lashkar-e-Jhangvi)[89][90][91] 61 160+
26 October 2016 Ghor Province, Afghanistan Fighters killed at least 30 civilians after abducting them in the Afghan province of Ghor.[92] 30 0
26 October 2016 Jalalabad, Afghanistan An IS suicide bomber killed a number of Afghan tribal elders.[93] 4–15 25
4 November 2016 Ghor Province, Afghanistan IS executed 31 civilians in Ghor Province.[94] 31 0
5 November 2016 Ghor Province, Afghanistan IS abducted at least 6 civilians in Ghor province.[94] 0 6 kidnapped
12 November 2016 2016 Khuzdar bombing Khuzdar, Pakistan At least 55 people including women and children were killed when a suicide bomber went off in the crowded Shah Noorani Shrine in Hub town, Lasbela District, Balochistan, Pakistan.[95] 55 (+1) 102+
16 November 2016 Kabul, Afghanistan A suicide bomber blew himself up in a convoy with members of the Afghan National Security Forces, near the Defence ministry.[96] 6 (+1) 15
21 November 2016 Kabul, Afghanistan A suicide bombing at a Kabul Shia mosque "Baqir-ul-Olum."[97] 30 (+1) 15
25 November 2016 Jalalabad, Afghanistan Multiple bombs exploded in Jalalabad city.[98] 6 27
10 December 2016 Peshawar, Pakistan IS has claimed responsibility for killing a counterterrorism police officer and wounding his son in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar.[99] 1 1
7 February 2017 Kabul, Afghanistan A suicide blast at Afghanistan's Supreme Court in Kabul.[100] IS claimed responsibility.[101] 22 41
8 February 2017 Qush Tepa District, Afghanistan IS killed six local employees of the International Committee of the Red Cross in the Qush Tepa district in Afghanistan. The assailants also took another two workers with them.[101] 6 2 kidnapped
16 February 2017 2017 Sehwan suicide bombing Sehwan, Pakistan A suicide bombing at a shrine in southern Pakistan.[102] 90 (+1) 250
8 March 2017 March 2017 Kabul attack Kabul, Afghanistan A group of gunmen dressed in white hospital robes attacked the Sardar Daud Khan Hospital.[103] 49 63
12 April 2017 Kabul, Afghanistan A suicide bomber attacked near government offices in Kabul. IS claimed responsibility for the attack.[104] 5 (+1) 10
3 May 2017 Kabul, Afghanistan A suicide car bomber detonated next to a convoy of NATO vehicles near the U.S. embassy in Kabul.[105] 8 (+1) 28
17 May 2017 Jalalabad, Afghanistan Four civilians and two police officers were killed when IS militants stormed a TV station in Jalalabad. Two militants blew themselves up and the other two have taken hostages. They were later killed by the police.[106] 6 (+4) 17
1 June 2017 Jalalabad, Afghanistan A car bomb went off outside the airport in Jalalabad.[107] 1 5
30 June 2017 Achin District, Afghanistan Seven civilians were killed and five others wounded when a bomb planted by IS militants blew up in the Achin district of Nangarhar province.[108] 7 5
25 July 2017 Sar-e Pol city, Afghanistan Militants affiliated with IS beheaded a man allegedly over sorcery in the capital of the northern province of Sar-e-Pol.[109] 1 0
31 July 2017 Kabul, Afghanistan IS militants committed an attack on the Iraqi Embassy in the Afghan capital Kabul. One terrorist blew himself up and another three entered the embassy. Two Afghan guards were killed and three others injured in the attack.[110] 2 (+4) 3
1 August 2017 2017 Herat mosque attack Herat, Afghanistan Two suicide bombers attacked a Shia mosque in Herat. One of the bombers shot at worshipers with a rifle before detonating himself. 33 (+2) 66
30 August 2017 Jalalabad, Afghanistan A suicide bomber detonated his explosives in front of the house of an Afghan MP in Jalalabad. The explosion killed two guards and injured another one. A second attacker was killed before he could detonate himself.[111] 2 (+2) 1
20 October 2017 20 October 2017 Afghanistan attacks Du Layna District, Afghanistan A suicide bombing in a Sunni mosque of Ghor Province. The main target of the attack was a local commander from the anti-Taliban Jamiat party.[112][113] 33 (+1) 10
20 October 2017 Kabul, Afghanistan A suicide bomber attacked inside a Shia mosque in Kabul.[114] 56 (+1) 55
31 October 2017 Kabul, Afghanistan An IS suicide bomber blew himself up in Kabul. 14 (+1) 13
7 November 2017 Kabul, Afghanistan A TV building was attacked in downtown Kabul by three militants. An employee and a security guard were killed. At least one militant blew himself up while the others were killed during a gunfight with security forces. IS claimed responsibility for the attack.[115] 2 (+3) 20
16 November 2017 Kabul, Afghanistan At least 19 people including eight police officers and ten civilians were killed in a bomb explosion outside a restaurant in Kabul.[116][117][118] 19 10
18 December 2017 Kabul, Afghanistan Gunmen attacked a training center of the National Directorate of Security in Kabul, injuring two policemen. All three attackers were gunned downed.[119] 0 (+3) 2
25 December 2017 Kabul, Afghanistan A suicide bomb attack near the compound of Afghanistan's intelligence agency in Kabul.[120] 10 (+1) 5
28 December 2017 December 2017 Kabul suicide bombing Kabul, Afghanistan A suicide bomber stormed a Shi'ite cultural center and news agency in the Afghan capital, killing and wounding some including a number of students attending a conference. Two other bombs were detonated in the zone.[121][122] 50 (+1) 80
4 January 2018 Kabul, Afghanistan A suicide bombing targeted a mobile police checkpoint in Kabul.[123] 20 30
7 January 2018 Kunar Province, Afghanistan Insurgents stormed a security checkpoint in Afghanistan's eastern Kunar province.[124] 3 8
24 January 2018 2018 Save the Children Jalalabad attack Jalalabad, Afghanistan A complex attack began with a suicide car bomb outside the Save The Children offices in the city of Jalalabad followed by gunmen entering the compound and fighting Afghan special forces.[125][126] 6 27
29 January 2018 Kabul, Afghanistan 11 Afghan soldiers were killed and 16 others were injured when five IS militants attacked an army post in Kabul. Four attackers were later killed by the security forces and another was arrested.[127] 11 (+4) 16
24 February 2018 Kabul, Afghanistan A suicide blast in the Shash Darak area of Kabul.[128][129] 3 (+1) 6
7 March 2018 Jalalabad, Afghanistan A suicide bomber killed three people including the local head of the Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs.[130][131] 3 (+1) 16
9 March 2018 Kabul, Afghanistan A suicide bomber set off explosives in a crowd of Shiite Muslims near a mosque complex in Kabul.[132] 10 (+1) 22
19 March 2018 Jalalabad, Afghanistan A motorcycle bombing in Jalalabad in the Afghan province of Nangarhar.[133] 4 11
21 March 2018 March 2018 Kabul suicide bombing Kabul, Afghanistan A suicide bombing near a Shiite shrine in Kabul occurred as Afghans celebrated the Persian New Year.[134][135] 33 (+1) 65
25 March 2018 Herat, Afghanistan Two suicide bombers attacked a Shiite mosque in Herat, killing three including the two bombers.[136][137] 1 (+2) 9
30 March 2018 Watapur District, Afghanistan A member of the provincial council of Kunar and a religious scholar were killed in a suicide bombing in the Watapur district of Kunar province. A security guard was also wounded in the attack.[138][139] 2 (+1) 1
17 April 2018 Darzab District, Afghanistan IS fighters beheaded a 12-year-old boy in Darzab district in the northern Afghan province of Jowzjan.[140] 1 0
22 April 2018 22 April 2018 Kabul suicide bombing Kabul, Afghanistan A suicide bomb attack at a voter registration centre in the Afghan capital Kabul. The casualties were all civilians most of whom had been waiting outside the office to apply for their IDs in order to register to vote in the upcoming elections.[141][142][143] 69 (+1) 120
22 April 2018 Chaparhar District, Afghanistan Three brothers were beheaded by IS militants in Chaparhar district in Nangarhar province in Afghanistan.[144] 3 0
29 April 2018 Jalalabad, Afghanistan At least seven people including children and policemen were injured in a bomb attack near a voter registration center in Jalalabad, the capital of the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar.[145][146] 0 7
30 April 2018 30 April 2018 Kabul suicide bombings Kabul, Afghanistan Two suicide bombings in the Afghan capital Kabul.[147][148] 29 (+2) 50
4 June 2018 Kabul, Afghanistan A suicide bomber detonated his explosives targeting a gathering of Afghanistan's top clerics in Kabul. Afterwards, a magnetic bomb attached to a police car exploded and as a result three people were wounded. 14 (+1) 22
11 June 2018 Kabul, Afghanistan A suicide bomber detonated his explosives at an Afghan ministry in Kabul. 17 (+1) 40
16 June 2018 Rodat District, Afghanistan A suicide bomber attacked at a gathering of Taliban and Afghan armed forces in the Rodat district of the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar. 36 (+1) 65
17 June 2018 Jalalabad, Afghanistan A suicide bomber detonated his explosives near the governor's compound in Afghanistan's eastern city of Jalalabad. 25 (+1) 50
30 June 2018 Khogyani District, Afghanistan IS militants beheaded at least three people working as attendants for a local school in the Khogyani district of the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar. The school building was also set on fire. 3 0
1 July 2018 July 2018 Jalalabad Suicide Bombing Jalalabad, Afghanistan A suicide bomber detonated his explosives in the center of the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, killing at least 20 people including several members of the Sikh minority. 20 (+1) 20
5 July 2018 Khogyani District, Afghanistan Three Taliban militants including one commander were killed and four civilians injured in a bomb blast in the Khogyani district of the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar. 0 (+3) 4
9 July 2018 Chaparhar District, Afghanistan At least nine civilians including two children were injured in a bomb explosion in the Chaparhar district of the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar. 0 9
9 July 2018 Khogyani District, Afghanistan A Taliban insurgent and a civilian were killed in the Khogyani district of the Afghan province of Nangarhar. 1(+1) 0
10 July 2018 Jalalabad, Afghanistan A suicide bomber detonated his explosives near a petrol pump, killing two officials working for Afghanistan's intelligence agency and 10 civilians including children and sparking a fire that burned eight cars in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad. Five other people were taken to hospital. 12 (+1) 5
11 July 2018 Jalalabad, Afghanistan A militant attack on the building of the provincial education department in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad. One suicide bomber detonated his explosives while two more were shot dead by the security forces in a gunfight lasting several hours. 12 (+3) 9
13 July 2018 13 July 2018 Pakistan bombings Mastung, Pakistan At least 131 people were killed[149] and more than 300 others injured in a suicide bombing at election rally.[150] 131 300+
15 July 2018 Kabul, Afghanistan A suicide bomber blew himself up near a government ministry in Kabul. 8 (+1) 17
17 July 2018 Sayyad District, Afghanistan 27 including some Taliban militants were killed in a suicide bombing that targeted a funeral for a deceased person in the Sayyad district of the northern Afghan province of Sar-e Pol. 27 (+1) 23
20 July 2018 Bagrami District, Afghanistan A child was injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up before reaching his target in the Bagrami district of Kabul province, Afghanistan. 0 (+1) 1
22 July 2018 Kabul, Afghanistan At least 23 people including an AFP driver were killed in a suicide bombing near Kabul International Airport as scores of people were leaving the airport after welcoming home Afghan Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum from exile. 23 (+1) 107
22 July 2018 Surkh-Rōd District, Afghanistan A gunman opened fire in a mosque in the Surkh-Rōd district in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar, killing four people and injuring three others, including the mosque's religious leader. 4 3
25 July 2018 2018 Quetta Suicide Bombing Quetta, Pakistan At least 31 people including five policemen and two children were killed after a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a polling station in the Pakistani city of Quetta. 31 (+1) 40
28 July 2018 Jalalabad, Afghanistan Two security guards and a driver were killed after a suicide bomber detonated his explosives and another attacker stormed into a training center for midwives in Jalalabad, the capital of the Afghan province of Nangarhar. The second attacker was shot in an hour-long battle with the security forces. 3 (+2) 8
30 July 2018 Rodat District, Afghanistan A local tribal elder and three of his family members were killed in a suicide car bomb attack in the Rodat district of the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar. The son of the tribal leader also underwent some injuries in the attack. 4 (+1) 1
31 July 2018 Jalalabad, Afghanistan A suicide bomber blew up a car near the entrance to the Department of Refugees and Returnees in the Afghan city of Jalalabad and then two armed men stormed the building. The attackers took several hostages during the attack. Security killed both gunmen after about six hours. 14 (+3) 26
3 August 2018 Gardez, Afghanistan Two militants dressed in burqa entered a Shiite mosque in the town of Gardez in the province of Paktia and opened fire. Both attackers later blew themselves up. 48 (+2) 70
5 August 2018 Jalalabad, Afghanistan Three officers of the Afghan National Army were killed and three others injured when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives in front of an army checkpoint in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad. 3 (+1) 3
15 August 2018 Kabul, Afghanistan A suicide bombing in an educative academy of Kabul. 48 67
5 September 2018 Kabul, Afghanistan Suicide blasts targeted a Kabul Wrestling club and emergency teams, two journalists were among the dead, IS claimed responsibility for the bombing.[151][152][153][154] 26 (+2) 91
9 September 2018 Kabul, Afghanistan A suicide bomber on a motorbike blew himself up near a group of people commemorating the death anniversary of a resistance leader in Kabul on Sunday, killing at least seven people and injuring an additional 25, officials said, IS claimed responsibility for the attack.[155][156] 7 (+1) 25
26 September 2018 Kalat, Pakistan Two Pakistani soldiers were killed in the Kalat area of Manghochar Balochistan when they clashed with IS militants in a compound, all 3 IS militants were killed.[157] 2 (+3) 6
2 October 2018 Kama District, Afghanistan A suicide bomber detonated at an election rally in the Kama district of the Nangarhar Province, IS claimed responsibility through Amaq.[158][159] 14 (+1) 40
4 October 2018 Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan A bomb blast at an office of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), IS claimed responsibility for the attack.[160] 2 9
10 October 2018 Momand Dara District. Afghanistan Three civilians were publicly executed by IS in a desert court in the Momand Dara District of Nangarhar Province.[161] 3 0
29 October 2018 Kabul, Afghanistan A suicide bomber targeting an Independent Election Commission (IEC) in Kabul detonated, IS claimed responsibility for the attack.[162][163] 2 (+1) 7
31 October 2018 Kabul, Afghanistan A suicide bomber targeting a bus carrying employees of Afghanistan's biggest prison in Kabul detonated, IS claimed responsibility for the attack.[164][165] 7 (+1) 5
12 November 2018 Kabul, Afghanistan A suicide bomber detonated his explosives near Pashtunistan Square, in Kabul city center among a crowd of Hazaras who were protesting violence against them, IS claimed responsibility for the attack.[166][167] 6 (+1) 20
23 November 2018 2018 Orakzai bombing Kalaya, Pakistan A suicide bomber detonated in a market in the Shi'ite dominated region of Kalaya, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, northern Pakistan, IS claimed responsibility.[168][169][170][171][172][173] 34 (+1) 56
23 November 2018 Khost Province, Afghanistan A suicide bombing left 27 Afghan National Army personnel dead in a mosque at an army base in the Khost Province, Afghanistan, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.[174][175][176][177] 27 (+1) 57
15 January 2019 Kabul, Afghanistan A car driver was killed in Kabul's PD9 when a magnetic bomb exploded while attached to the car. IS claimed responsibility and said that the person killed was an Afghan intelligence officer.[178][179] 1 0
5 February 2019 Jalalabad, Afghanistan A policeman was shot and killed by multiple gunmen in a targeted killing in the city of Jalalabad. The gunmen took the man's weapon away and IS took responsibility for the attack.[180][181] 1 0
13 February 2019 Alingar District, Afghanistan Two Taliban members were killed in an attack by ISIL Khorasan members in Laghman's Alingar District.[182] 2 0
6 March 2019 Jalalabad, Afghanistan A suicide bomber attacked a building company near the Jalalabad Airport, later four gunmen attacked the area. All five attackers were killed in the attack. IS claimed responsibility for the attack.[183][184] 16 (+5) 10
7 March 2019 Kabul, Afghanistan Shelling at a gathering commemorating the death anniversary of Shia leader Abdul Ali Mazari. IS has claimed responsibility for the attack. One of the attackers was arrested.[185][186] 3 22
12 April 2019 2019 Quetta bombing Quetta, Pakistan A suicide blast took place in a potato stall in Shia dominated Hazarganji vegetable market.[187] 22 48+
20 April 2019 Kabul, Afghanistan An explosion followed by gunfire targeted the Afghan Ministry of Information, killing 10 (7 civilians, 3 security personnel). The four attackers were all eventually killed.[188] 10 5
17 August 2019 17 August 2019 Kabul bombing Kabul, Afghanistan A suicide blast took place in the men's reception area of a wedding hall in Kabul, in a Shia neighbourhood, packed with people celebrating a marriage.[189] 92 160+
6 November 2019 Rudaki, Tajikistan Around 20 ISIS militants from Afghanistan conducted an attack on a border post in Tajikistan after crossing into Tajikistan from Afghanistan. The attack resulted in death of a Tajik border guard and a police officer. In the ensuing firefight 15 ISIS militants were killed and five were arrested.[190][191] 17 (incl. 15 militants)
6 March 2020 6 March 2020 Kabul shooting Kabul, Afghanistan Two gunmen fired from a building that was under construction.[192][193] It happened during a ceremony to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the murder by the Taliban of Afghan Shia leader Abdul Ali Mazari.[192] The ceremony was attended by Afghan politician Abdullah Abdullah who escaped unharmed.[192] The two gunmen were killed later the same day.[192] IS claimed responsibility for the attack.[192][194][195] 32 81
25 March 2020 Kabul gurdwara attack Kabul, Afghanistan A suicide blast and an armed assault took place at a Sikh shrine in Kabul, Afghanistan. During the attack there were 200 worshippers inside the shrine, among them also Indian citizens. Attackers hold hostages inside which caused a 6 hours lasting shootout. The attack resulted in 25 Sikh whorkshippers killed. After the attack, Afghan and NATO soldiers helped with the clearance operation.[196] 25 8+
12 May 2020 May 2020 Afghanistan attacks Kuz Kunar District, Nangarhar, Afghanistan A suicide bombing took place in Kuz Kunar District, Nangarhar Province at the funeral of Shaikh Akram, a police commander who died of a heart attack a day before.[197][198][199][200] 32 133+
12 May 2020 May 2020 Afghanistan attacks Kabul, Afghanistan 16 mothers and eight children and babies are killed after Islamic State militants targeted the maternity unit of a hospital in the predominately Shi'ite Hazara neighborhood of Dashte Barchi Kabul, moving through the 55-bed maternity unit. The three gunmen were later killed during a battle with security forces. The mothers were specifically the main target of the attack according to authorities.[201] 24 (+3) 16
3 August 2020 Jalalabad prison attack Jalalabad, Nangarhar, Afghanistan An attack was launched by ISIS–K-affiliated gunmen in Jalalabad prison, in which 200 ISIS–K-affiliated prisoners managed to escape. Three gunmen also died.[202] 29 (+3) 50+
25 October 2020 Kabul, Afghanistan An Islamic State suicide bomber struck near an education centre in the Afghan capital Kabul on Saturday.[203] 18 (+3) 57
10 December 2020 Jalalabad, Afghanistan TV and radio presenter Malalai Maiwand and her driver were killed in a shooting attack on their vehicle in the regional capital Jalalabad. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.[204] 2 0
3 January 2021 2021 Machh attack Machh, Pakistan 11 Hazara coal miners are kidnapped near their mine and then killed by Islamic State militants in Machh, Pakistan.[205] 11 0
2 March 2021 Jalalabad, Afghanistan Three female media workers are shot dead in Jalalabad.[206] 3 1
8 May 2021 2021 Kabul school bombing Kabul, Afghanistan A car bombing followed by two more improvised explosive device (IED) blasts occurred in front of Sayed al-Shuhada school in Dashte Barchi, a predominantly Shia Hazara area in western Kabul, Afghanistan. The majority of the casualties were girls between 11 and 15 years old. The attack took place in a neighborhood that has been attacked by militants belonging to IS over the years. The Taliban blamed the attack on IS–KP.[207] 90 220
10 May 2021 Pul-e-Matak, Afghanistan A bus was hit by an IED, leaving 2 civilians dead. IS–K claimed the attack, stating that the Shia's on the bus were the target.[208] 2 9
13 May 2021 Sardawra, Afghanistan Two civilians including a child were killed after a remote-controlled explosive was detonated. IS–K later claimed responsibility.[208] 2 14
14 May 2021 Kabul, Afghanistan 12 people were killed including an Imam whilst worshipping in a mosque when an IED exploded within the mosque. ISIS later claimed responsibility.[209][210] 12 15
2 June 2021 Kabul, Afghanistan Two bombs were detonated targeting two different buses in Kabul. Both buses were transporting passengers of the Hazara ethnic group. ISIS later claimed the attack via Telegram.[211] 10 12
8 June 2021 Baghlan, Afghanistan ISIS–K claimed responsibility for attacking de-mining workers in Baghlan Province (north of the Afghan capital Kabul), 10 de-miners were shot dead.[212] 10 16
12 June 2021 Kabul, Afghanistan ISIS–K claimed responsibility for planting sticky bombs onto two vans carrying Shi'ites in a part of Kabul, creating two car bombs.[213] 7 4+
20 July 2021 Kabul, Afghanistan ISIS–K took responsibility for three rocket attacks which landed outside Afghan government presidential palace. Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani and other government and security officials were taking part in prayer at the time of the attack. No casualties were reported in the attack.[214] 0 0
27 July 2021 Jalalabad, Afghanistan ISIS–K claimed responsibility for the assassination of a NDS operative.[215] 1 0
28 July 2021 Kunduz, Afghanistan ISIS–K operatives abducted an Afghan police officer and released a video of them executing him with a pistol in the Kunduz area.[215] 1 0
29 July 2021 Jalalabad, Afghanistan ISIS–K claimed responsibility for assassinating an employee of the Pakistani embassy in Jalalabad.[216] 1 0
1 August 2021 Jalalabad, Afghanistan ISIS–K claimed responsibility for the assassination of a rival Taliban operative in Jalalabad.[215] 1 0
2 August 2021 Herat, Afghanistan ISIS–K claimed responsibility for detonating an explosive device targeting a bus full of Shias in the city of Herat.[217][218] 3 10
9 August 2021 Jalalabad, Afghanistan ISIS–K claimed responsibility for assassinating a former officer of the Afghan army in Jalalabad.[219] 1 0
26 August 2021 2021 Kabul airport attack Hamid Karzai International Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan An ISIS–K suicide bomber blew himself up at the Kabul airport, killing 170 Afghan civilians and 13 U.S. military personnel. The killed Americans were identified as 10 U.S. Marines, two soldiers and one U.S. Navy medic. Three of the killed Afghans were British citizens. More than 200 other people were wounded, including a number of Taliban members and 18 Americans.[220] 183 200+
18 September 2021 Jalalabad and Kabul A series of bomb attacks in Jalalabad and Kabul city killed 7 people, including 2 Taliban fighters, and injured 30 others. ISIS took responsibility for the series of bomb attacks and claimed that it killed or wounded more than 35 Taliban fighters in those bomb attacks.[221][222] 7 30
22 September 2021 Jalalabad, Afghanistan Two Taliban fighters and a civilian were killed in an attack by gunmen affiliated with Islamic State on security checkpoint in Jalalabad City, according to eyewitness and security officials.[223] 3 0
3 October 2021 Kabul, Afghanistan An explosion at the entrance to the Eidgah Mosque in Kabul left at least five people dead, where a memorial service was held for the mother of Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. ISIS–K later claimed responsibility, saying it targeted and killed several Taliban operatives.[224] 5 7
6 October 2021 Khost, Afghanistan ISIS–K claimed responsibility for a grenade attack on a religious school in the city of Khost, killing at least 7 people including at least one Taliban fighter.[225][226] 7 15+
8 October 2021 2021 Kunduz mosque bombing Kunduz, Afghanistan On October 8, a Uyghur Islamic State militant, by the name of Muhammad al-Uyghuri killed 55–100 people and injured dozens more after launching a suicide bombing on a Shi'ite mosque in the city of Kunduz.[227][228][229][230] 55 100+
15 October 2021 2021 Kandahar bombing Kandahar, Afghanistan A suicide bombing occurred at the Imam Bargah mosque, a Shia mosque during Friday prayers in Kandahar, Afghanistan, killing at least 65 people and wounding more than 70 others. The Islamic State – Khorasan Province claimed responsibility for the attack via their Amaq News Agency.[231] 65 70+
2 November 2021 2021 Kabul hospital attack Kabul, Afghanistan On 2 November 2021, bombers and gunmen attacked Daoud Khan Military Hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan. Militants attacked the hospital at its entrance gate by explosion and caused another explosion nearby, then continued the attack using guns. The Taliban said that they killed four attackers and arrested another. 25 50+
13 November 2021 Kabul, Afghanistan At least 2 killed and at least 5 injured in IED explosion which struck a bus in traveling on the main avenue in Kabul Dashti Barchi neighborhood. 2 5
17 November 2021 Kabul, Afghanistan Twin blasts in western Kabul's Dasht-e Barchi neighborhood killed one and wounded six others.[232] 1 6
24 November 2021 Rawalpindi, Pakistan On 24 November 2021, IS delineates "Khorasan Province" from "Pakistan Province" in attack claims, one involving targeted killing in Rawalpindi.[233] 1 0
23 December 2021 Kabul, Afghanistan A car bomb exploded near the gate outside the main passport department office in Kabul.[234][235] Islamic State later claims responsibility for the attack.[235] 0 0
4 March 2022 2022 Peshawar mosque bombing Peshawar, Pakistan On 4 March 2022, an Islamic State suicide bomber blew himself up at a Shiite mosque in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, killing at least 63 people.[236] 63 (+1) 196
8 March 2022 Sibi District, Pakistan On 8 March 2022, a suicide bomber detonated a suicide vest killing six Pakistani paramilitary men and injuring 22 more.[237] 6 (+1) 22
21 April 2022 2022 Mazar-i-Sharif mosque bombing Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan A bomb exploded at a Shiite mosque in Mazar-i-Sharif during Friday prayers, killing 31 people and wounding 87. 31 87
3 August 2022 Kabul, Afghanistan Two Taliban police officers were killed and four were wounded during a gunbattle with Islamic State gunmen at a hideout in Kabul. Three Islamic State militants were also killed.[238] 2 (+3) 4
5 August 2022 Kabul, Afghanistan On 5 August 2022, eight people were killed and 18 others were injured when a bomb hidden in a cart exploded near a Shiite mosque in Kabul. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.[239] 8 18
30 September 2022 September 2022 Kabul school bombing Kabul, Afghanistan A suicide bomber blew himself up at the Kaaj education center in Dashte Barchi, a Hazara neighborhood in Kabul, Afghanistan, killing at least 52 people.[240] 52+ 110
2 December 2022 Kabul, Afghanistan Two attackers opened fire on the Pakistan Chargé d'Affaires Ubaid-ur-Rehman Nizamani at the Pakistani embassy compound in Kabul wounding his bodyguard.[241] 0 1
12 December 2022 2022 Kabul hotel attack Kabul, Afghanistan 3 IS militants set off explosives and set fire to the Longan Hotel in Kabul due to its ties to the Chinese government. Six people were killed, including the attackers, and another 18 were injured, including foreign and Afghan civilians and Taliban soldiers.[242] 3 (+3) 18
1 January 2023 2023 Kabul airport bombing Kabul, Afghanistan An attacker detonated a bomb outside the entrance to the military portion of Kabul International Airport.[243] 20 (claimed) 30 (claimed)
11 January 2023 Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan bombing Kabul, Afghanistan A suicide bomber detonated outside the Taliban foreign ministry office in Kabul, reportedly during the visit of a Chinese delegation.[244] 20+
30 July 2023 2023 Khar bombing Khar, Bajaur, Pakistan. An ISKP suicide bomber detonated an explosive at a Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) rally in Khar, Pakistan. 55+ 200+
13 October 2023 2023 Pul-i-Khumri bombing Pul-e-Khumri, Afghanistan An ISKP suicide bomber detonated an explosive in the Hazarat Shia Imam Zaman Mosque in Pul-e-Khumri, capital of Baghlan Province. 7+ 15

Operations by opponents

2017 Nangarhar airstrike

On 13 April 2017, a GBU-43/B MOAB was dropped in an airstrike on a cave complex in Achin District, Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. It was the first use of the bomb on the battlefield.[245][246][247] The Afghan defence ministry reported it to have killed over 36 militants and destroyed the tunnel complex including a cache of weapons. No civilian casualties were reported.[248]

On 14 April 2017, Pakistan's security agencies along with the local police raided a house in Lahore's Factory Area as part of their combing operation which was approved by Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff Qamar Javed Bajwa in the aftermath of Mall Road bombing.[249] After an exchange of fire which killed one "terrorist", three other suspects were arrested, one of them being Noreen Leghari, a student from Hyderabad, Pakistan who was claimed to be missing by her family 4 days prior to the raid.[250] On a confessional statement released by ISPR, Noreen confessed to joining IS through a terrorist she met on social media, She also told authorities that she was recruited by IS to attack a church in Lahore on the Easter Sunday, two suicide jackets, four hand grenades and bullets were provided to them.[251] On 4 September 2019, in a joint operation of Counter Terrorism Department, FIA and Balochistan Constabulary at least 6 ISIS militants were killed in an intelligence-based operation in Quetta's Eastern Bypass area. During the operation, one official of the Balochistan Constabulary was killed and eight others from the Counter Terrorism Department were injured.[252]

Mohmand Valley raid

On 26 April 2017, a joint raid operation committed by U.S. Army Rangers and Afghan Special Forces in the Nangarhar Province resulted in the death of Sheikh Abdul Hasib, the leader of IS in Afghanistan. Along with Hasib, a number of other commanders of IS were killed according to a statement by the U.S. military. Two U.S. soldiers died during the operation, possibly due to friendly fire.[253] On 1 January 2019, Afghan Special Forces attacked ISIS–K in Nangarhar Province's Achin District, killing 27 militants according to officials. Two local ISIS leaders, Sediq Yar and Syed Omar, were reported to be among those killed.[254] On 10 January, senior ISIS–K commander Khetab Emir was also killed in a raid in Nangarhar according to a U.S. forces spokesman. Emir was reported to have facilitated major attacks and provided ISIS–K bombmakers with explosive materials.[255] On 30 April 2019, Afghan government forces undertook clearing operations directed against both ISIS–K and the Taliban in eastern Nangarhar Province after the two groups fought for over a week over a group of villages in an area of illegal talc mining. The National Directorate of Security claimed 22 ISIS–K fighters were killed and two weapons caches destroyed while the Taliban claimed U.S.-backed Afghan forces killed seven civilians; a provincial official said over 9,000 families had been displaced by the fighting.[256] On 21 August 2019, an airstrike killed six militants of IS in Nangarhar province including two Pakistani nationals.[257]

Taliban operations

In July 2018, the Taliban launched an offensive against IS in the Jowzjan province.[258]

2021 U.S. airstrikes

On 27 August 2021, the United States launched an airstrike against three suspected ISIS–K members in Nangarhar Province.[259] On 29 August, a drone attack against a suspected Islamic State bomber in Kabul killed a family of nine, including six children.[260]

Analysis

US General Sean Swindell told the BBC in June 2015 that members of Khorasan Province were in contact with ISIL's central leadership in Syria although the exact relationship between the two is unclear.[261] ISIS–K remained the top terrorist threat, claiming responsibility for 41 terrorist attacks, including the 4 March 2022 bombing at a Shia mosque in Pakistan that killed 63 and wounded 200. ISIS–K has approximately 2,000 members in Afghanistan, and its attacks have focused on the Taliban, religious minorities, and economic infrastructure.

Relationship with the Taliban

Since the Taliban took control of the Afghan central government following the United States withdrawal and collapse of the Afghan National Army (ANA) in August 2021, the Taliban has been locked in a violent counterinsurgency struggle against ISIS–K.[262] The Taliban-led Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has sought international legitimacy by demonstrating its efforts to curb terrorism and secure national sovereignty over Afghan territory, namely for prospects of international investment to reverse Afghanistan's increasing poverty.[263][264] ISIS–K, seeking to establish the Khorasan Province of a greater Islamic State on Afghan territory, principally seeks to undermine the so-called 'apostate' and 'Western puppet' Taliban regime in hopes of once again regaining control of Afghan territory.[265][266] Beginning in late 2022 and continuing through 2023, ISIS–K has launched attacks on diplomats from the People's Republic of China[241][244] and Islamic Republic of Pakistan,[241] nations with warmer relations towards the Taliban,[267] aiming to deter foreign recognition, investment, or support to the Taliban government through violent attacks exhibiting Taliban failures to provide security.[263]

Membership

According to a UN report, up to 70 IS fighters arrived from Iraq and Syria to form the initial core of the group in Afghanistan.[268] Most of the group's membership growth has come from recruiting Afghan defectors from the Taliban.[45] In Afghanistan, IS has not only been recruiting from the villages but also the urban middle class and specifically targeting the universities, as lecturers in Islamic law as well as students at Kabul University have pledged allegiance to the group.[269]

Foreign fighters from Pakistan and Uzbekistan are also known to be part of the group.[45] Other foreign fighters have included Indians, with 14 Keralites having been freed by the Taliban from prison following the fall of Kabul.[270] The Taliban also claimed that two Malaysians of ISIS–K were caught by them following a gun battle in Kabul on August 26, 2021.[271] Individuals from Myanmar and Bangladesh[272] have also been part of it, and one known Bangladeshi national of ISIS–K was arrested by the Afghan intelligence in 2020.[273]

After the takeover of Kabul by the Taliban in 2021, several members of Afghan intelligence agency and Afghan National Army have also joined the Islamic State – Khorasan Province.[274][275]

Foothold and strategy

While the group has managed to establish a foothold in Afghanistan, it has largely carried out isolated, smaller-scale attacks in Pakistan.[276] The group has also failed to establish a foothold in Pakistan because of anti-terrorism operations conducted by Pakistan's law enforcement agencies against the group. A series of successful operations by US, Afghan and coalition forces in Afghanistan against the group has also crippled the group's ability to operate in the region.[277]

Designation as a terrorist organization

Country Date References
 United States 20 May 2016 [278]
 Australia 3 November 2017 [279]
 Canada 23 May 2018 [280]
 India 21 June 2018 [281]
 United Nations 14 May 2019 [282]
 Argentina 14 May 2019 [283]
 New Zealand 14 May 2019 [284]
 Iraq 16 May 2019 [285]
 Afghanistan 3 July 2022 [286]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Army Rangers killed in Afghanistan were possible victims of friendly fire". Army Times. 28 April 2017.
  2. ↑ Barbara Starr; Ralph Ellis (8 May 2017). "ISIS leader in Afghanistan was killed in raid, US confirms". CNN. Archived from the original on 8 May 2017. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  3. ↑ Browne, Ryan (14 July 2017). "US kills leader of ISIS in Afghanistan". CNN. Archived from the original on 14 July 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  4. ↑ "Statement by Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Dana W. White on death of ISIS-K leader in Afghanistan". U.S. Department of Defense. Archived from the original on 14 July 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  5. ↑ "ISIL leader in Afghanistan killed in air raids". aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 27 August 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  6. ↑ Mujtaba Haris and Ali M Latifi. Taliban takes on ISKP, its most serious foe in Afghanistan. Al Jazeera. 27 September 2021.
  7. ↑ "UN: Islamic State replaced leader in Afghanistan after visit from central leadership | FDD's Long War Journal". longwarjournal.org. 30 July 2019. Archived from the original on 31 July 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  8. ↑ "Afghan forces announce arrest of local ISIL leader". Archived from the original on 5 April 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  9. 1 2 3 "US sanctions four ISIS-K operatives working in Afghanistan". alarabia.net. 22 November 2021.
  10. ↑ "IS announces expansion into AfPak, parts of India". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 14 September 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
  11. ↑ "Spotlight on Global Jihad (June 15–21, 2023)". Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Centre. 22 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  12. ↑ "Daesh Documentary". Tolonews.
  13. ↑ "Afghanistan airport attack: Who are IS-K?". BBC News. 27 August 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  14. ↑ "Pakistani Terror Group Declares Allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's Caliphate".
  15. ↑ "Wilayat Khorasan: Past and Present Dynamics in the Af-Pak Region". 12 April 2019.
  16. ↑ "TTP blames Pakistan's puppets "ISKP" for deadly Bajaur attack".
  17. ↑ "Turkistan Islamic Party leader criticizes the Islamic State's 'illegitimate' caliphate".
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Further reading

  • Giustozzi, Antonio (2018). The Islamic State in Khorasan: Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the New Central Asian Jihad. United Kingdom: C. Hurst & Co. ISBN 9781849049641.
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